97: King Street, Norwich

Wednesday, April 14, 2010
4:17 PM

One of the longest streets in Norwich, the story of King Street begins before the city even existed.

Its seen better days.

Dragon Hall in King Street, Norwich, gets its name from a carving in the roof.

King Street was somewhat rundown in the 1980s and 1990s, but like much of riverside Norwich is undergoing a renaissance. Since the days of the Romans, through the time of medieval merchants warehouses, Georgian brewers and Victorian factory-owners, King Street has been an important thoroughfare. Now that new housing and facilities are opening up there, it is ready to relive its glory days.

What about the Romans?

In the 1st century AD, following the defeat of Boudicas rebellion, the Romans created a new town in Norfolk. Named Venta Icenorum (Markteplace of the Iceni) it stood near the modern village of Caistor St Edmund, south of Norwich.

Were not sure what was on the site of the modern city at that time, perhaps little more than a collection of small settlements around the river, but we know a number of Roman roads crossed here. King Street formed part of the route to the north. In Saxon times the road was probably used to get to Tombland, then the main market place of Norwich, and grew from there. The roads medieval name Conesford suggests there was a stream to cross here; many such waterways used to run through Norwich, but have been covered over by modern development.

Who lived here?

Its position by the river made it favoured by merchants and traders. They were not the only ones. In 1146 the citys only female religious house the Benedictine Carrow Priory was founded a little way outside the city defences (the medieval wall, fragments of which survive today, was not built until the 1300s). A body of Augustine friars also moved in closer to the city centre. Other residents included the Jewish Jurnet family, who lived in what came to be called the Music House. The Jews are said to have arrived after the Norman invasion, and most lived near the castle. This was more for safety than choice; in 1144 anti-Semitic sentiment spilled over following the death of a local boy called William which was blamed on the Jews. Isaac Jurnets house had strong defences.

Who were the merchants?

Norwich thrived through trade with the Low Countries. Worsted cloth from Norfolk was shipped in single-masted craft called keels or wherries along the Wensum and Yare to Yarmouth and then in seagoing vessels to Europe, with luxury goods such as wine and spices coming back in exchange. They were unloaded at private staithes and stored in riverside warehouses. Many wealthy local families, including the Pastons and the Heydons, had town houses in King Street.

The building now known as Dragon Hall has been lived in since Saxon times, but came to prominence in these boom times. Robert Toppes was a cloth merchant with interests throughout Norfolk. Four times mayor of Norwich in the mid 15th century, his King Street property was a showroom for his top-class continental goods. The building gets its name from a decorative carving found in the roof of the building when it was studied by archaeologists. This may reflect membership of the trade Guild of St George, which was popular from the 14th century on. On the Feast of St George a procession would go through King Street to Tombland with Snap, a colourful hobbyhorse with dragon wings and snappable jaws, at its head. Snap remains the citys symbol, and the regalia can be seen in the Castle Museum.

Any more famous residents?

John Caius, pioneering doctor and founder of the Cambridge college that bears his name, was born at what was then the Ship Inn in King Street. Thomas Codde, mayor during Ketts Rebellion of 1549, lived nearby, while radical, pro-French Revolution 18th century writer William Taylors family home was in King Street. Renowned Norwich artist John Cromes parents kept the Griffin Inn in the late 18th century, now buried beneath the ring road that bisects the street.

What else was brewing?

The 18th and 19th centuries were the height of the Norwich brewing industry. The city was said to have a pub for every day of the year and 26 of them were in King Street. Their names reflected river trade; there were three Steam Packets, a Ship, Old Barge and Keel and Wherry and Three Tuns. Brewer Nockold Thompson became mayor in 1759. He brewed a strong ale called Thompsons Nog on his premises. In Victorian time there were two breweries, including Morgans and Crawshaw and Youngs. It could be a lethal business; in 1845 the unfortunate 23-year-old Walter Morgan fell into and drowned in one of his fermenting vats.

By that time, it was a less salubrious neighbourhood. The wealthy folk like the Pastons, who had lived in the Jurnets old house, had moved out. Grand buildings like Dragon Hall were sub-divided, and humble artisans moved in. People kept cattle and other animals in the yard and the hall was partially used as a pub and why not, with all those breweries! Surely it wasnt all about beer In 1856 Jeremiah James Colman founded his famous factory, and employed 2,000 people by the end of the century. Enlightened employers and philanthropists, Colmans created a school for workers children, provided an industrial nurse, subsidised meals and paid holidays for employees.

And recent times?

The area suffered from wartime bombing. In April 1942, Dragon Hall, along with other properties, was damaged, and remained in poor condition until recent renovation. During the 1930s the city council had acted to clear slum dwellings, so a lot of buildings disappeared. When Rouen Road was built in the 1960s, part of the street was further demolished, a process that went on in the next decade.

By the mid-1980s the area was a sorry sight as businesses closed. But the Riverside development and attractive postindustrial residential building are in the process of revitalising King Street. The annual festival held there each May illustrates that King Street is alive and well.